Back in September, the $1,200 Main Event at The Commerce Casino Hold’em Series saw 517 entrants generate a prize pool of $542,850. Day 2 started with 51 players and ended in a three-way ICM chop with Sungmin Cho taking home the championship trophy and the top prize of $87,315.
At the time of the ICM chop, Cho from Seoul, South Korea, was the chip leader and was crowned the champion of the tournament. Cho was celebrating his honeymoon with his new wife in Los Angeles at The Commerce Casino. After being unable to play poker for the last six months, his wife agreed to let him enter a tournament while on their honeymoon. He seized that opportunity and emerged with the Day 1b chip lead. Near the money bubble, he remarked, “I’m just really having fun; I haven’t played a tournament in so long.” The fun didn’t stop as he cruised through Day 2, and by the time of the ICM chop, he held 9,800,000 of the 20,680,000 chips in play and was named the champion of the $1,200 Main Event.
2024 Hold’em Series Main Event Final Table Results
Michael Nia opened in middle position with raise to 15,000, and action folded around to Adam Weinraub in the big blind.
Weinraub made the call and the dealer fanned out the 10♠5♠6♦ flop.
Both Weinraub and Nia checked to the 5♥ turn, where the Weinraub declined to bet again. Nia fired 18,000 into the middle, good enough to take down the pot as Weinraub folded.
Faraz Jaka opened to 12,000 in middle position, with Jonathan Pastore calling in the big blind.
Both players checked through the 5♥8♦J♥ flop and the dealer flipped over the A♦ turn.
Another pair of checks revealed the 5♣ river, with Pastore sliding out a bet of 50,000. Jaka did not take long to toss in the call, and Pastore showed K♦5♦ for trip fives to claim the pot.
Peter Cross opened to 11,000 in middle position and Michael Nia made the call in the cutoff. Zaher Samaan tossed in a call on the button, with Hratch Mkrtumyan defending his big blind.
A round of checks followed the K♥8♠7♣ flop, with Cross checking again after seeing the 9♣ turn.
Nia fired 27,000, which was quickly called by Samaan. Mkrtumyan took a minute before announcing all in for 137,000.
Cross studied his opponent before opting to fold, with Nia and Samaan also sliding their cards into the muck as Mkrtumyan raked in the chips.
Mitchell Hynam opened to 30,000 in middle position and action folded around to Tyler Cornell in the big blind. Cornell took some time before three-betting to 62,000.
Hynam then took some time of his own before announcing all in, with Cornell snap-calling.
Tyler Cornell: K♣K♥
Mitchell Hynam: A♠A♥
Cornell ran into Hynam's aces but found a set on the 9♠6♣K♠ flop. The 7♠ turn and Q♥ river changed nothing, leaving Cornell in front to double up.
